The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jerry Pettibone

Followed Dave Kragthorpe. Jerry Pettibone held Oregon State at Regional Program IV for 6 seasons.

The builder
46–84
1985–1996 · 2 stints
Northern IllinoisOregon State
← all coaches

Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerNORTHERN ILLINOISOREGON STATERegional Programthe building-block levelNorthern Illinois, 1985: 4-7, Regional Program III1985Northern Illinois, 1986: 2-9, Regional Program III1986Northern Illinois, 1987: 5-5, Regional Program IV1987Northern Illinois, 1988: 7-4, Regional Program IV1988Northern Illinois, 1989: 9-2, Regional Program IV1989Northern Illinois, 1990: 6-5, Regional Program III1990-0.2Oregon State, 1991: 1-10, Regional Program V1991Oregon State, 1992: 1-9, Regional Program V1992Oregon State, 1993: 4-7, Regional Program V1993Oregon State, 1994: 4-7, Regional Program IV1994Oregon State, 1995: 1-10, Regional Program IV1995Oregon State, 1996: 2-9, Regional Program IV1996+3.4One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Regional Program in his 1st career season — faster than 20% of the 925 FBS coaches who have ever reached Regional Program (rank #1 of 925 by seasons-to-arrival).

Northern Illinois, 6 seasons
−0.2
Regional Program III → Regional Program III.
Oregon State, 6 seasons
+3.4
Regional Program V → Regional Program IV.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

5–11 against his rivals. Winless in 6 tries against Dick Tomey.

Rivalry record
5–11
31.2% · 3 rivals
One-score games
12–22–2
33.3% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
0–1
0.0%
Rivalry ledger
Toledo3–350%
Oregon2–433%
Ball State0–40%
The toughest matchup
vs. Dick Tomey0–5–1
6 meetings, 1991–1996
’91 L’92 T’93 L’94 L’95 L’96 L
0% win rate across a real, 6-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
0–1 0.0%
Power Program
2–26 7.1%
National Program
6–27 18.2%
Regional Program
24–25 49.0%

Coaching career

1991–1996
Oregon Statecaretaker
Regional Program IV → Regional Program IV
Jerry Pettibone held Oregon State at Regional Program IV for 6 seasons.

15th-best Oregon State tenure of 17 by the numbers.

Followed Dave Kragthorpe (1985–1990) · succeeded by Mike Riley (1997–2014).

2 NFL Draft picks: Esera Tuaolo (1991), Alai Kalaniuvalu (1994)

13–52
1985–1990
Northern Illinoiscaretaker
Regional Program III → Regional Program III
Jerry Pettibone held Northern Illinois at Regional Program III for 6 seasons.

8th-best Northern Illinois tenure of 13 by the numbers.

Followed Lee Corso (1984–1984) · succeeded by Charlie Sadler (1991–1995).

4 NFL Draft picks: Scott Kellar (1986), Curt Pardridge (1986), Steve O'Malley (1986), Doug Bartlett (1987)

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